# Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?



## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

*Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?*

Was way out in Jersey yesterday and saw a JR Cigar warehouse - dumped the girls at a nearby mall and scampered back. Picked up a few tins based on their resident pipe-expert's recommendation. Can anyone tell me more about these? I haven't opened either yet.

Erinmore Flake, from Ireland nothing else written on the tin. Obviously a flake type, rectangular tin.

Stanwell Melange, Made in Denmark for Peter Stokkebye Tobaksfabrik A/S. 50gm round tin, doesn't say what kind of cut. The tin-back description states: A modern approach to a traditional mixture. Black Cavendish, toasted Burley, Orientals and bright Virginia are gently mixed with apricot (?) and natural sweetness. Soft and mellow with a pleasing aroma and a delicate taste.

RJ


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2008)

*Re: Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?*



RJpuffs said:


> Was way out in Jersey yesterday and saw a JR Cigar warehouse - dumped the girls at a nearby mall and scampered back. Picked up a few tins based on their resident pipe-expert's recommendation. Can anyone tell me more about these? I haven't opened either yet.
> 
> Erinmore Flake, from Ireland nothing else written on the tin. Obviously a flake type, rectangular tin.
> 
> ...


For the most part http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/index.cfm is your friend. 
Erinmore has a number of reviews while i could find anything on Stanwell Melange but as it reads its got a good tin description.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

*Re: Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?*



Root said:


> For the most part http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/index.cfm is your friend.
> Erinmore has a number of reviews while i could find anything on Stanwell Melange but as it reads its got a good tin description.


Thanks, I find their reviews contradictory - but it is a starting ground.

Airing/drying seems to be the signature tune for the Erinmore.

I find the opinion of the folks here on CS to be much more reliable :tu

RJ


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## smokinmojo (Jan 24, 2005)

*Re: Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?*

Erinmore Flake

Is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. I say sometimes for a couple of reasons.

The topping (apricot?/berry?) is not only there when you open the tin, its there in aroma and taste for the entire smoke. If you like it your in for a treat. (i like it, but have to be in the mood)

I've also read that airing it out helps with the smoking qualities. I suspect that is true. I prefer a fresh tin of the stuff (I have opened a tin and let it dry. After that it still can bite you!) use a little more caution in lighting and smoking cadence.

I rub out the flake. Pack it lightly. Light as many times as i need to, without getting a nip. Smoking this very slowly is the only way to go. Relights are a good thing.

So if im in the mood for a topped aromatic flake (i get a good amount of tobacco flavor and some spice) that requires a little thought (sometimes what i need)

EF is a good choice.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

*Re: Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?*



smokinmojo said:


> Erinmore Flake
> 
> Is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. I say sometimes for a couple of reasons.
> 
> ...


Sounds good! I'll have to schedule it into my (mini) rotation as soon as I get through some of the tins I have already popped open and are in the process of airing/de-preservative-ing.

After dealing with Mac Barens, my tongue is used to wolverines gnawing at it - slow and cool, noted!

RJ


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## JacksonCognac (Nov 12, 2007)

*Re: Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?*

RJ I've had close to a half of a tin of the Erinmore so I might as well write a quick review.

I dry mine out a bit and usually smoke it as a whole flake. It's a nice consistent smoke, with a sweet casing that I find to work well with the natural sweetness of the virginia tobacco. You do need to be careful not to smoke it too fast in order to avoid tongue bite.

All in all it's not something I find myself continually reaching for, especially because I find that it takes a little more work then some of my other blends, but every now and then I revisit it.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

*Re: Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?*



JacksonCognac said:


> RJ I've had close to a half of a tin of the Erinmore so I might as well write a quick review.
> 
> I dry mine out a bit and usually smoke it as a whole flake. It's a nice consistent smoke, with a sweet casing that I find to work well with the natural sweetness of the virginia tobacco. You do need to be careful not to smoke it too fast in order to avoid tongue bite.
> 
> All in all it's not something I find myself continually reaching for, especially because I find that it takes a little more work then some of my other blends, but every now and then I revisit it.


Thanks for the tips. I'm just starting with flakes and I seem to have gotten the hang of the "fold n stuff" routine. So far tried Vanilla Cream flake and MacB Navy Flake only, have the Erinmore flake tin breathing for a tryout this weekend.

I figure since the dudes went through all the trouble of pressing and slicing into these pretty flakes, the least I can do is smoke the flake as a flake. The "oops" pieces of course will get mashed and rubbed, have to try it out both ways 

RJ


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## DubintheDam (Jun 5, 2007)

*Re: Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?*

They say Erinmore is a love it or hate it baccy...I loves it. I prefer the flake but also enjoy the mixture for a softer experience...top stuff...reminds me of strong black tea and freshly baked fruit cake on my grandma's aga peat fueled cooker...no farmhouse was without one in 50's/60's rural Ireland.

They say it's pineapple flavour, "would ye ever whisht with that sort of highfellutan' nonsense...sure isn't it the taste of ol' Ireland herself and everyone in the street knows it but you"...indeed...indeed.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

*Re: Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?*

OK I had my first bowl of Erinmore Flake so here are my initial thoughts on it.

Upon opening the tin I was surprised to find the packing method. It was packed sideways (compared to the Mac B flakes I have seen), it looked like a loaf of sliced bread. Moist and firm flakes, subtle berry and bakery smell, nice.

The flakes are small (again, compared to the only other flakes I have seen, Mac B's), about 7/10th the size. Scratched my head to calculate how many I would need, put two mini-flakes out to dry out. Unfortunately, work interefered with the best laid plans, et al - the flakes got left out over an hour but they didn't disentigrate, felt at the right humidity.

First smoke of the morning (clean palate, if there is such a thing), got the secretary to cover my desk and snuck out to the parking lot. Used the smaller bowl Viking (aka Bjarne seconds), loaded flake style. Probably a mistake, two mini-flakes were too much - had to gouge out a half flake and put it away. Sprinkled dust on top like tinker bell with the pixie dust. Char, light, didn't light too well. Tends to burn down the middle. And burns very very slowly. Took a while to get enough ash to re-coat the top layer and it lit well after that. Found it very wet, had to squeege out 3 pipe cleaner-fuls (both ends) in the first half hour alone. And even after (what I thought) was over-drying it. Don't let the mini-flake size fool you, I found this to be a "full strength" tobacco. Vague berry flavor but bordering on artificial sweetner, and fresh baked bread. Very strange flavor.

All this while my pager was going off, escalating annoyed messages from aforementioned secretary. About 1/3 of the way into the bowl, she threatened to quit if I didn't get my butt back in my chair to get some work off her desk. Up we go for an hour.

Returning to the pipe, it re-lit very well and burned very well, cool and slow. Much less moisture now, normal mopping. Lasted about another hour, this is very slow burning stuff.

On the resumption of festivities, the flavor got much better. The berry was about right, not too sweet, not too tart - but still a little fake tasting. The breadyness changed, it was bread/woody tobaccoey now. The flavors veered from fruity to woody, it wasn't bad. Strong, almost harsh, but no tongue bite (I was very careful and slow). It was a tough one to keep lit, a little inattention and it would go out. Smoke was thick and plentiful when it was burning.

It reminds me vaguely of Mac Baren Navy Flake, a berry cased version of it. I have a feeling they may go well together (flake blend?) - next bowl.

RJ


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## JacksonCognac (Nov 12, 2007)

*Re: Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?*

RJ, funny story and good review. I will have to have another bowl of this in the near future.

Edit - and Dub, I see what you mean about the tea smell. I just took a whiff and this smells a lot like Earl Gray, interesting observation!


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

*Re: Can anyone tell me more about "Erinmore Flake" and "Stanwell Melange" ?*

OK I had a couple of bowls of the Stanwell Melange so I can write about it. This is a brand new blend (according to JR's) and as there is no review on tobaccoreviews.com I guess they were right. Makes this review a kinda scoop then! Read all about it, the first place in the whole wide smokin' world to read all about it, right here on CS!

On with it.

Opening the tin fills the room with an apricot coconut confection smell - a real eye popper. It reminds me of some English pastry from my childhood (damn it was a long time ago) - maybe a macaroon?

Loose cut, deceptively dry looking in the tin, some dark lumps that break apart easily.

The first smoke was in a very ghosted aromatic dedicated Viking briar. Dried it out for an hour, packed reasonably well but the texture is a little springy (keeps trying to jump out of the bowl). Charring light was reasonably easy, but it lit up well and stayed lit as well as an aromatic can stay lit. A fast burner, tends to get hot and nip yer tongue if you get impatient. Unfortunately just prior to that bowl I had gone through the Maltese Falcon nausea incident, and my tongue was oriental'ed so for taste details we move onto the second bowl this morning.

This time I chose the meer (the Viking reeks of apricot ghosts after yesterdays bowl). Didn't dry out as much, only a few minutes, this meer has thin walls and I prefer to have a moister tobacco to keep it from burning too hot. Lit well as before, and the flavor kicks in from the light, and lasts through to the bottom of the bowl. A definite apricot touch, the coconut is almost gone (no more pastry), and a strong distinctive burley tobacco flavor takes over. A really nice blend, made for sipping out of a meer! Escalating sipping frequency takes the flavor from apricot sweetness to raw woodsy tobacco and back. Very nice.

Caveats - this one bites, especially when its not dried out. Although drying out cuts the sweetness considerably. A few minutes of drying seems to work the best, keeps the taste and dulls the edge a bit. Its very thin cut and burns fast, moderate to heavy handed packing is recommended to avoid over heating and tongue damage. Especially on the charring light, slow and sip or you lose your tongue right there. The bowl burns fast and its quite smoky, for an aromatic. Frequent sipping keeps it lit all the way through with overheating. Pleasant tongue aftertaste of apricot sweetness.

A very nice aromatic, tasty and strong. I must get a few more tins. And a new pipe to dedicate to this ghostie tobacco.

RJ


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